FRIGID New York Festival 2011 – Five Questions For: Yippie!

Welcome back to another installment of FRIGID New York Festival 2011 Q&A! We’ll be running these throughout February until the Festival starts, so be sure to check back to read all about the great shows that will be taking part in the festival. Also – don’t miss the winner-take-all game of Rock Paper Scissors! Today’s Q&A is with Randy Anderson who is the Co-Producer, Co-Writer, Co-Director of Yippie!

YIPPIE! is an explosive look back on the events that defined the Youth International Party. 1967 meets 2011 in this time twisting exploration of freedom, fun, and fanatics.

answers by Randy Anderson, Co-Producer, Co-Writer, Co-Director

Antonio Asks:What makes FRIGID such a warm and welcoming experience for your production?

Because FRIGID has only 30 shows it makes it a great pop-up community. And Yippie! is a play about a community. So bringing our community to the wonderful pop-up community of FRIGID just seems natural.

Diánna Asks: What about this play do you feel most drawn to personally, and because of that, what message do you hope the audience walks away with?

I’ve always been attracted to the 1960′s social movements. The youthful vibrancy and unrest that characterized these movements is exciting for me as a progressive. For the past decade, there has been a battle in our society that has pegged progress as a dirty word so like the Yippies did in the late 60′s, we want to demonstrate to our audience that progress is good for everyone, and we want to do it in a very entertaining way. Because, it’s gotta be more fun to be ‘in’ the revolution than out of it.

Karen Asks: That’s some title. How did you come up with it – and what does it mean?

The play is about the Yippies so Yippie! is actually pretty logical. Probably the only logical thing we’ll do with the show. Yipppies aren’t very logical. Yippie is what the members of the Youth International Party called themselves. Our play focuses on Yippie co-founder Jerry Rubin, who was actually the first Yuppie as well. But who wants to see a play called Yuppie? The great thing about Yippie is that it’s fun to say.

Stephen Asks: You must have a favorite part of your show. What makes it your favorite?

We have several protest sequences which are by far my favorite. They’re physical bits that capture large scale protests with 8 actors. It’s inspiring to watch.

Lina Asks:How much of your show was inspired by true events?

Actual events are the backbone of the play. But, this is NOT an biopic production. We utilize real events to illustrate larger points, and we manipulate the hell out of these events for our own purposes. Therefore, it should be taken as a work of fiction. When we did the show ten years ago, we almost killed the Yippie mascot Pigasus in the show. It was an effective tool to illustrate a violent revolution verses a peaceful one. But the daughter of a Yippie founder came to see the show, and left in tears. It turns out, Pigasus was her favorite bedtime story as a child and there we were on stage making chops out of her childhood.

THM Bonus Question: If you could play a virtual game of Rock, Paper, Scissors with another FRIGID Show which show would you take on? And what would you throw?

Fucking Girls – And we’d throw a paper.

Thanks YIPPIE! – for participating in The Happiest Medium’s FRIGID New York Festival 2011 Q&A. And for playing our game! You’re officially PAPER. So you may win TWICE. Or, not at all. This is how it works in the crazy world of the VIRTUAL ROCK PAPER SCISSORS TOURNAMENT!

FRIGID New York Festival 2011 will run February 23-March 6 at The Kraine Theater & The Red Room (85 East 4th Street between 2nd Ave and Bowery) and UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place between 1sr Ave and Ave A). Tickets ($10-$16) may be purchased online at www.FRIGIDnewyork.info or by calling Smarttix at 212-868-4444. All shows will run 60 minutes long or less.